Oregon's NFL Draft Prospects Turn Heads in Latest Pre-Draft Rankings

Former Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq is the highest ranking Duck on the list at No. 14. Sadiq is the highest ranked tight end on the list and deservedly so, as he has been projected by many mock drafts to be not only a first-round draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but a top-20 overall pick. 

Sadiq finished his final season with the Ducks with 51 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns. Sadiq also turned heads with his performance at the 2026 NFL Combine. At the combine, Sadiq recorded a 4.39 second forty-yard dash time and a 11-1 broad jump. 

Former Oregon Ducks safety Dillon Thieneman is ranked as the No. 38 overall prospect in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft by Melo's rankings on NFL Draft on SI. Thieneman played just one year with the Ducks, but he came up big in clutch moments, including his game-winning interception in overtime against Penn State in Happy Valley. 

Like Sadiq, Thieneman made headlines at the 2026 NFL Combine by logging a 4.35 second forty-yard dash and a 41-inch vertical jump. Multiple mock drafts have Thieneman being taken in the later parts of the first round, but Melo's ranking of Thieneman implies that the Oregon safety could fall to the second round.

Former Oregon Duck offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon is ranked as the No. 46 prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. Pregnon played at Wyoming and then for USC before transferring to the Ducks for his 2025 season. Pregnon started 15 games and was a member of an Oregon offensive line that finished as finalists for the Joe Moore Award.

Former Oregon Ducks Snubbed From Top-100 Rankings

Sadiq, Thieneman, and Pregnon were the only players from Oregon that were included in the top-100 list. Notably absent from the list was Ducks wide receiver Malik Benson, who burst on the scene in 2025 as a key cog in the Oregon offense. Benson played one year at Florida State before transferring to the Ducks. 

Benson’s shining  moment of the 2025 season came in Seattle against the Washington Huskies when he had a 64-yard catch and run touchdown that saw him blow by two Husky safeties. Benson had a fantastic 2026 NFL Combine, and logged a 4.37 second 40-yard dash and a 10-2 broad jump.

Also notably absent from the top-100 list was former Oregon Duck cornerback Jadon Canady. Canady saw a huge boost in playing time in 2025 and was instrumental in the Ducks win over the Washington Huskies in Seattle. Canady finished his 2025 season with 18 solo tackles, one forced fumble, six pass deflections, and one interception. 

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